Brandon Lowe’s free-agent market could force the Padres into a harder question than they may want to answer: what exactly are they doing with Jake Cronenworth?
Jim Bowden’s projections for The Athletic peg San Diego as one of Lowe’s best fits and slot the left-handed bat into a three-year, $45 million deal. That’s a clean enough number on the surface, but it also lands right in the middle of the Padres’ infield puzzle. If Lowe is the target, second base is the obvious place to look - and that means Cronenworth is suddenly part of the conversation.
Lowe makes that conversation worth having. In a career-high 150 games for Pittsburgh, he hit 35 home runs, posted a 121 OPS+ and finished in the 96th percentile in defensive run value. That’s the kind of profile San Diego has to at least examine closely: real power, useful defense, and enough two-way value to justify a significant commitment.
The problem is that the Padres can’t just add Lowe in a vacuum. If they want his bat in the lineup, they have to decide whether Cronenworth shifts to first base, gets traded, or stays put while Lowe becomes the designated hitter. And each route carries a cost.
Sliding Cronenworth to first would open second base for Lowe, but it would also lock in another piece of the lineup before the Padres finish sorting out their offense. First base remains a place where San Diego can still add production, particularly if Ty France doesn’t return. In that scenario, the whole lineup has to be judged as a package, not as a single move.
Using Lowe at DH is cleaner on paper, but it narrows the club’s flexibility. Those at-bats would come at the expense of using the DH spot to rest another regular while keeping his bat in play. It would also mean paying for Lowe’s ability to handle second base without fully using that skill.
That leaves the most disruptive option: a Cronenworth trade. He’s under contract through 2030, so any move would require the right partner and the right money arrangement. The Padres should be willing to explore it, but they can’t assume it brings salary relief.
Bowden’s $45 million estimate gives the discussion a starting point, not a final answer. The true price would depend on what San Diego has to do to make the roster fit around Lowe.
If the Padres have to absorb a chunk of Cronenworth’s deal or give up a meaningful prospect, the equation changes fast. If keeping both players forces them into another expensive move elsewhere, that matters too.
There’s also the age factor. Lowe is 32, the same age as Cronenworth, and a three-year deal would carry him into his mid-30s.
San Diego would be buying the bat he just showed in Pittsburgh, but also betting that the next few seasons hold up as well as the last one did. That’s the kind of gamble teams make when they believe an upgrade is real.
So yes, Lowe gives the Padres a reason to reopen the Cronenworth debate. If he’s available near Bowden’s projection, A.J. Preller should find out exactly what it would take to make the roster work.
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